November 12, 2025 • 24 mins
What if the career you built isn’t the life you want? That question sparked a midlife awakening for Dr. Agi Keramidas, who traded a thriving path in dentistry for a mission fuelled by curiosity, conversation, and service. We unpack how intuition led him from the clinic to the microphone, why public speaking unlocked confidence, and how podcasting became the platform to learn in public and help others do the same.
Across this candid conversation, we pull back the curtain on the real engine of a durable show: consistency, systems, and a clear why. Agi shares the early “coach every week” insight that transformed interviews into a powerful form of self-education, then explains how doubling his publishing schedule revealed both the workload and the joy that turned a hobby into a mission. We dig into the marathon mindset—why most creators quit before episode ten, how trust compounds around episodes 50–60, and why comparing yourself to celebrity brands misses the years of reputation those voices carried long before their first upload.
We also get tactical. If starting today, Agi would build systems first: booking workflows, prep templates, editing pipelines, and distribution checklists that make publishing inevitable. We talk about smart automation and AI as time-savers, not shortcuts, and the importance of protecting authenticity over gimmicks. Then we explore content leverage: turning a library of episodes into evergreen assets, including Agi's book, 88 Actionable Insights for Life, distilled from hundreds of interviews into practical guidance.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Carl (00:04):
Welcome to Communication Connection Community, the
Podcaster's Podcast.
This podcast takes a deep diveinto modern-day communication
strategies in the podcastingspace.
We chat with interesting peoplewho make the podcasting and
speaking spaces exciting andvibrant.
We also dive into thepodcasting community with news,
(00:24):
updates, latest trends andtopics from this ever-evolving
space.
So strap in, it's going to beone amazing ride.
Let's dive into today'sepisode.
And my guest today is Dr.
Agi Keramidas, originally fromGreece, and he's been living in
(00:45):
the UK since 2010.
His personal developmentjourney took him from being a
dentist with a master's degreeto becoming a podcaster,
knowledge broker, and author.
He is on a lifelong journey ofpersonal growth and
self-mastery.
Despite his formal education,he is a big believer in the
immense power of self-education.
(01:06):
He is a critical thinker andyet at the same time deeply
spiritual.
He is a sought-after podcastguest.
We've already said he's apodcast host, and we're so
thrilled he's joining us today.
We're going to talk about anumber of different things,
including Dr.
Agi's journey into podcasting.
Welcome to the podcast.
Agi (01:22):
Carl, thank you very much for this wonderful introduction.
I'm excited to be here and I'mlooking forward to this
conversation.
Carl (01:28):
From dentist to podcaster, knowledge broker, and author,
what was the transition from oneto the others?
Agi (01:37):
I think it was what I like to call a midlife awakening.
Not a crisis.
Not a crisis, yes.
I took the lesson early, Carl,and didn't allow it to
transition into a crisis.
I think the crisis happens whenyou don't deal with it, when it
appears and you postpone it.
But yeah, what changed for mewas uh realizing that dentistry,
(02:00):
what I had been doing for allmy life, you know, then until I
was forty or so.
Actually, I had just finished amaster's degree in dentistry at
that time.
So instead of being superpumped and motivated to
practice, I was the opposite.
I was unmotivated, confused, Ididn't want to do any of that.
And that led me, you know, tostart investigating.
(02:21):
And I mean investigating myselfand figuring out led me to
personal development, readingbooks, going to seminars, this
one thing led to the other,speaking happened as a result,
and then podcasting.
So it was a gradual transitionover a period of years, but it
was and still is a beautifuljourney for me.
Carl (02:43):
It's funny because I think that a lot of people believe
that, you know, why would yougive up something like dentistry
to take the self-employment orself-discovery route when in
fact sometimes we need to dothat, we need to let go of
something, and sometimes thatfirst career or our first love
isn't the love we'reexperiencing right now, and
(03:04):
especially as you're going onthat self-discovery journey.
Agi (03:07):
Definitely.
And what led me the way thatyou asked it was when you feel
unsatisfied, when you don't feelin your heart that this is, you
know, what you would like to dofor the next 20 years of your
life, when you don't feel, youknow, fulfillment in what you
do.
I think that is the perfect wayI can describe it.
If fulfillment is lacking, thenI really personally I didn't
(03:31):
want to live my life feelingunfulfilled.
And just going through theemotions before you know it, you
know, you are 80 years old andyou look back and say, Oh my
god, what have I done?
So I think when you look at itlike that, it gives you more,
let's say, courage anddetermination to take some
decisions that can actuallychange things for you.
Carl (03:55):
And as you're on this journey of discovery, why
podcasting?
What is it that made you sit upand take notice of the
podcasting medium?
Agi (04:04):
This is a great question, and the short answer is my
intuition.
My heart brought it in front ofme.
At that time I had just starteddoing public speaking, which
was, you know, the completeopposite of what I used to be, a
very shy person.
And when I discovered howspeaking made me feel, and what
(04:25):
kind of energy I had, you know,when I was speaking to others,
then I discovered podcastingcompletely accidentally, I would
say.
Someone was talking about it,and I thought, wow, this I think
I can combine my new skills ofspeaking and put it into the
podcast.
So that was the spark ofinspiration that triggered it.
(04:45):
Of course, it took many, manymonths before I actually did
something with it, buteventually I did, out of uh
curiosity, and as a hobbycompletely at that time, I
started my first podcast back in2018.
And then I realized very muchthat great joy when I was doing
that, so I just kept on going.
(05:06):
So that's how it started.
Carl (05:10):
So you're on this discovery journey, you're
stepping from being a very shy,quiet person to now doing some
public speaking, to doingpodcasting.
Would you still consideryourself to be an introvert, or
have you shifted now to beingmore of an extrovert?
Agi (05:27):
I prefer in these cases the word ambivert because I'm by
nature I'm still an introvert,Carl.
I think, but that doesn't meanthat I can't, when I, for
example, here right now, I'mbehaving and I'm performing or
speaking in a very differentway.
I'm not the introvert, is youknow, I left him behind 20
(05:47):
minutes ago when when we startedthe call.
But that is my nature.
However, I have learned tochange it when I need not to be
an introvert.
And this is the I consider thatto be.
Rather than you know, the termextrovert, I certainly don't
consider myself an extrovert,because I think that also
(06:08):
implies some personality traitsthat I don't necessarily apart
you know from the confidence tospeak and express your opinions,
there are other things I thinkthat an extrovert.
Carl (06:20):
What are some of the things that you've discovered
about podcasting that maybe youdidn't realize when you first uh
started your show?
What are some of the ahamoments that you've had along
the way?
Agi (06:32):
That's such a lovely question.
Uh you know, after all theseyears, there are many.
I remember one of the firstthings I realized because uh
when I started, especially whenI started the podcast, the
majority of my guests werecoaches.
So they were in the personaldevelopment space and the many
were coaches.
I would get to ask themanything I wanted, and most of
(06:55):
the things that it was my ownpersonal curiosity and what I
wanted to learn.
So I started half-jokinglysaying that with the podcast I
have a different coach everyweek.
I interview different people, Iask them, so I'm getting also
coached.
So that was a very importantrealization for me and lesson,
and that was early on.
(07:16):
That when you are behind themicrophone asking questions,
there is a great power you haveto learn, first of all.
And you get to learn what youwant to learn, you can be
inspired, it all depends, youknow, the kind of person you
have opposite you and what youask and what you want to draw
from the conversation.
(07:37):
But it was uh incredible theamount of knowledge that I was
learning, and of course thenpassing it on to the listener
whatever they want to pick fromthe conversation.
So yeah, the first one thatcomes to mind was that.
The second now that comes tomind, Carl, there are so many, I
will tell you a couple of them,just uh random ones that come
(07:59):
to mind, and was when I startedsecond podcast, Personal
Development Mastery, thispodcast that I have now with uh
435 episodes now.
I started it just before thelockdowns back in 2020 with the
COVID.
And I was I started it as oneepisode a week, like I was you
(08:20):
used.
And with the lockdowns, becauseof the additional free time
that I had along with lots ofpeople at that time, I started
doing two episodes a week.
And I realized two things veryquickly.
First, that it was a lot ofwork to produce two episodes a
week, and at that time I wasdoing every single thing uh
myself.
We didn't have AI tools uh backin 2020 to write the show notes
(08:45):
or things like that, so it wasvery much uh intensive in terms
of the the work it needed.
But I was happily doing it, andthe second thing I realized was
that this is not a hobbyanymore for me.
The the way that I was treatingit was becoming a passion.
I would spend the majority ofmy time.
And of course, then it carriedon since 2020.
(09:08):
I carried on with thatfrequency of two episodes a
week.
And of course now it has goneeven past uh passion.
It is it has become mission forme.
I mean I can't you know what,Carl, I will share that and then
I will take a pause and uh youcan ask whatever you want.
I I can't see myself, let's sayfive years down the line, ten
(09:30):
years down the line.
I can't see myself not doingthe podcast.
It is something that I can seemyself doing for a very long
time.
I certainly want to reach athousand episodes.
There is no no way I would stopbefore then.
So I still have uh close tohalfway there, but not yet.
Carl (09:50):
Well, congratulations on the success of the show.
That is phenomenal.
Some podcasters don't even getto episode eight, let alone over
you said over 400 episodes.
435, yes.
Wow, and again, you would nothave that success if you stopped
month three, right?
You would you would just wouldnot have that success.
And you'd be scratching yourhead still saying, I don't know
(10:12):
what I'm supposed to be doing.
And whereas the podcast I thinkhas given you some purpose.
And great things that you'veshared about things that you've
the aha moments that you've had.
It's definitely a long game,not a short game.
So when you talk about 10years, you know, five years, 10
years down the line, you don'tsee yourself not doing a
podcast.
I think it's refreshing forsomebody who's either brand new
(10:35):
in the space or considering thespace because sometimes they
can't see the forest for theirtrees.
They don't even see their first50 episodes, let alone 10 years
of episodes.
Agi (10:46):
It's a great point that you're making.
And I often say that podcastingor the success in podcasting,
if you want, is like a marathon.
It's it's not a sprint.
And anyone that is thinkingthat will go into podcasting and
they will, I don't know, becomeviral or whatever, and they
will create a huge success inthe first few months.
(11:07):
I think they should probably nonot start it in the in the
first place, because podcastingdoesn't work like that, in my
experience.
Anyway, it is a long game.
And you said unfortunately manypeople don't even reach episode
ten or or eight, and that's thesad reality.
I think it is two thirds of thepodcast that quit before they
(11:28):
reach there.
It's uh mind blowing.
I think uh something importantto begin with for someone so
that they won't quit beforeepisode eight is to have a very
good understanding of why theywant to get into podcasting and
to have a very clear intentionand good mentor also I would add
(11:49):
not to go into all this thingon their own.
Because then it is it gets veryeasy to become part of those uh
sixty five percent of uhpodcasters that quit before
episode ten.
When you look at the longergame, when you look at a hundred
episodes, when you look at pastthe first year of the podcast,
(12:10):
these are things for me you haveto consider from the very
beginning, at the outset, andlook ahead like that.
And that's what many people, ortwo-thirds of the people,
don't, in my opinion.
That's why they don't manage.
Carl (12:22):
I like how you defined that.
They're not seeing it as amarathon, they're seeing it as a
sprint.
I think they're also comparingit up front to other media that
we've come to know over theyears and expect instantaneous
results.
Or they're looking at some oftheir colleagues or friends who
are maybe further along on theirjourney, or even people they
(12:42):
admire.
You know, maybe it's uh BreneBrown or Tony Robbins or any of
those folks who are verytop-notch and well-known
celebrities and thought leaders,and they think, well, if they
can do it, I can too.
Not realizing that that journeythat those individuals have
been on, it didn't start withthe podcast.
It started years before, andthere were personal struggles
(13:05):
and challenges and business andall kinds of things.
That that's now how they'reable to do that.
So, to your point about it'snot likely that you're going to
have instant success unless youalready have that status, you're
right.
It's definitely going to takesome time and dedication and
commitment, and it might take 10years.
Agi (13:26):
It will take as long as it will take.
These are the things that noone can uh predict uh
beforehand.
And you know, all this.
You have to build the audience,you have to build the trust of
the audience.
And you mentioned all thesepeople, Tony Robbins, etc.
How many times have has onelistened to Tony Robbins'
content in one way or another?
(13:46):
To be able to say, absolutely,of course I will listen to this
podcast and I will follow them.
But he is very well knownbecause we have been we know
him.
You have probably heard him,you know, ph hundreds of times.
You have been to his eventslike I have, or so on.
So it's it's not the thepodcast, of course.
It came as uh he's a wellknown.
(14:07):
But when you don't have anaudience and the podcast will
allow you to have a deeperconnection with the audience
compared with, I don't know,TikTok or whatever else.
It has a deeper connection withthe audience.
But in order to build thatconnection, that's what it takes
time.
And you know, if you think ofthe podcast that you like, how
(14:29):
many times have you listened tothem to you know trust the
person that is behind themicrophone and respect them?
It certainly didn't happen whenyou first listened to answer.
You said, Oh, this is great, Iwill follow this person and do
whatever they uh recommend.
No, it takes time.
And I'm just coming back, uhCarl, to what we were saying
(14:49):
about the the long-term game.
Hopefully it won't take tenyears, as you said, but if it
does, it does, you know.
Things take from my experiencelonger than I would like them
to.
Carl (15:03):
Yeah, I think that's uh on my part, that's an
exaggeration.
And I think the point I wastrying to make was it'll it
might take more, likely willtake more than eight episodes.
And it might take, you know,your journey might take.
I had a colleague who once saidthat, because I remember asking
him fairly early on in mypodcasting journey.
I asked him, at what point, howmany episodes in do you start
(15:24):
to see the needle move with howmany listeners and what's the
engagement level?
And he said, somewhere aroundepisode 50 to 60.
And at this point, I was atepisode, I don't know, maybe
episode eight or nine.
And I'm thinking, I have a longway to go.
I'm over 200 episodes now, andI'm scratching my head going,
and I was worried about episodehitting episode 50.
But but I think we we look atthat and we say, Oh, that's
(15:46):
gonna take so long.
But nothing good or nothingworthwhile in life ever comes
easy, and some of the greatestthings take a long time, be it
the Sistine Chapel or Romewasn't built in the day, so
neither should your success inpodcasting.
And let me ask you thisquestion though, Aggie.
If you were starting out again,talking about the podcast, or
(16:09):
maybe in business too, but ifyou were starting out again,
what would you do differently?
Or would you do anythingdifferently?
Would it be the same?
Agi (16:16):
If I started out now, I don't know if if I would go back
in time and restart it, but ifI were to start now, I would uh
definitely make uh use from thebeginning of the the systems,
the processes, the automationsthat now I'm aware of that you
know they have taken me over mysix plus years of podcasting.
(16:40):
I have learned a few things asyou can imagine.
But I would certainly utilizethose because they are a time
saver.
Because podcasting, there isthis bit that one or the
listener sees or hears, that isthe finished product.
In order for that to be onSpotify ready for you to
download, there are other thingsthat need to be done that if
(17:04):
you don't either systemize it orgive it to someone else to do
it, then they're going to eat upa lot of your time.
And that is uh inevitable ifyou want to do something good.
So I think to answer yourquestion concisely, I would
utilize as much as possibleautomation AI and systems that
(17:28):
now I know about and I can gothrough a checklist of some
sort, and you know things uhhappen very, very fast.
Carl (17:35):
And those tools are phenomenal.
And I and I'm glad how youmentioned too that, especially
if you're doing it yourself,because there are a lot of
people who will do theirpodcasts themselves.
And previously, I'd say priorto 2020 for sure, a lot of that
grunt work you had to domanually.
Now there are tools that canhelp you do that.
If you don't even want to dothat yourself, there are
(17:56):
agencies like mine, for example,and that's what we do.
We take the back-endresponsibilities or tasks away
so you can just focus on doingyour content and we make you
look and sound good on the otherend.
So all those cleaning up anddigital mastering and all of
that stuff.
We take care of that.
You don't even have to figureit out.
But to your point, those toolsare there for a reason.
(18:18):
They're to to help us and makeour lives easier.
Agi (18:21):
Definitely.
All we need to do is embracethem and use them effect
effectively.
Carl (18:27):
I like that.
Use them effectively.
Effectively, yes.
Don't use them against you, andcertainly don't put certainly
don't put a bad product outthere just because you you want
to try and seem creative.
I've I've seen some people dothat, especially with some of
the AI voice technologies,they'll they'll do some very
I'll say weird, weird voicesthat don't even match the not a
(18:50):
clear reflection of their show,but they just like how that
sounds.
Well, that if it's not areflection of your brand and
your business, why are you doingit?
Why are it bringing in aboutinauthenticity when what the
audience wants is the real, theauthentic, the you, so they can
decide whether or not thatconnection is worthy of
(19:11):
listening to next week, but theneven doing a deeper dive with
you and and following up and buyyour book or jump into one of
your programs or whatever it is.
Agi (19:20):
Absolutely, Carl.
I I agree with you.
I mean, I don't have anythingparticular to add to that.
Carl (19:28):
Let's talk about your book though, because you do have I
think this is a good transitionto talk about your book because
you uh you do have a book, 88Actionable Insights for Life.
Let's talk about it, yeah.
Agi (19:38):
Sure, the interesting thing is that content of the book,
the vast majority of the contentof the book came from the
podcast.
And I think that is somethingvery interesting, and that for
someone listening thatconsidering a podcast or have a
podcast is that that content canbe used again.
Once you have collected enoughand you process it and you look
(20:03):
at it, you can then so that'swhat happened with uh with me.
I realized I had at that timeabout two hundred and fifty
episodes or something like that,maybe a bit less.
And I thought this is the timeto make a book.
I mean I got uh inspired verymuch by Tim Ferris, who used his
podcast to make uh Tools ofTitans, etc.
(20:24):
And I thought okay I will makea version of uh Tim Ferris.
And that's where Eighty EightActionable Insights for Life
came about, with uh actionablethings that my guests mainly,
but also I have uh my own thereas well, but uh the guests from
the podcast gave me about theirtopic of expertise.
(20:46):
So there are uh about fiftydifferent uh people combined in
the book, sharing their wisdomthat I uh distilled through the
the podcast.
So it was a very uh it was ofcourse a learning process and a
very interesting all I'm sayingis that since we are talking
(21:08):
about uh podcasting generallyand people who are interested or
have their podcast, uh thatthere are tremendous
possibilities with your contentto do some other things with it
and make it evergreen and so on.
So it it takes a lot of workfor sure, but all good things
take a lot of work, but uh theit's a great idea.
Carl (21:31):
Everyone has a book in them, everyone has a podcast in
them too, and I'll tell you thetwo go hand in hand.
So the fact that you've taken alot of stuff from your podcast
and put that into your book isamazing.
So thank you for sharing thatbecause quite often I'll have
folks who'll say, Well, I wantto write a book and I want to do
a podcast.
Which one should I do first?
Six of one half dozen theother.
I always say the podcast justbecause it's an easier runway,
(21:51):
and that's where you're going toget a bunch of that content.
But certainly the other wayworks too.
So we'll make sure that thelink for the book is in the show
notes as well as all of yoursocial media, your website, and
all of that stuff so people canconnect with you after today.
Oh my goodness, Dr.
Agi Keramitas, it has been anamazing conversation today.
Before I turn you loose,though, to go produce another
(22:13):
podcast, phenomenal podcastepisode, or dive into some other
phenomenal things like whatyou're doing, I'll give you the
final thought.
Agi (22:21):
What I would say, and it kind of ties to something we
were saying earlier, try andfind something that excites you
that like to do and think ofsomething that maybe you have
been wanting to do and beenpostponing it for a long time.
Just pick that one thing, and Ithink uh each of us think they
can figure something out veryquickly.
(22:43):
And once you pick that up, thentake a small step, a small
action towards it.
And when I say small, it can beas simple as uh you know going
online and checking a websiteabout thing or you know sending
a text to your friend that knowsabout it.
Something very simple.
It doesn't matter what it is,as long as it is a small action
(23:05):
towards that.
And then see what happens.
That's my open invitation.
See what happens afterwards.
You might be very pleasantlysurprised.
Carl (23:14):
And enjoy the journey as you're doing that too.
Dr.
Agi Keramidas has been my guesttoday.
Thank you so much for being onthe show.
Agi (23:21):
Thank you very much, Carl.
Carl (23:22):
It was a real pleasure to be here.
And hey, thank you for being apart of the show today.
So glad you could join us.
Believe it or not, I can't workthis magic by myself.
So, thanks to my amazing team,our audio engineer Don Carillo,
our sonic branding genius KentonDolborowski, and the person who
works the arms, all of our armsactually, our project manager
and my trusty assistant JulovellTiong o, known to us here
(23:45):
simply as July.
If you like what you heardtoday, let us know.
You can leave us a comment orreview or even send us a voice
note.
And if you really liked it, wehope you'll share it with your
friends and your colleagues.
If you don't like what youheard today, well, please feel
free to share it with yourenemies.
And if you know of someone whowould make a great guest on the
show, let us know about it.
You can get in touch with us bygoing to our show notes where
(24:07):
all of our connection points arethere, including the links to
our website, LinkedIn, andFacebook as well.
And if you're ready to be aguest on podcasts, or even start
your own show, let's have aconversation.
We'll show you the simplest wayto get into the podcasting
space and rock it.
Because after all, we'rePodcast Solutions Made Simple.
Catch again next time.
Welcome to Communication Connection Community, the
Podcaster's Podcast.
This podcast takes a deep diveinto modern-day communication
strategies in the podcastingspace.
We chat with interesting peoplewho make the podcasting and
speaking spaces exciting andvibrant.
We also dive into thepodcasting community with news,
(00:24):
updates, latest trends andtopics from this ever-evolving
space.
So strap in, it's going to beone amazing ride.
Let's dive into today'sepisode.
And my guest today is Dr.
Agi Keramidas, originally fromGreece, and he's been living in
(00:45):
the UK since 2010.
His personal developmentjourney took him from being a
dentist with a master's degreeto becoming a podcaster,
knowledge broker, and author.
He is on a lifelong journey ofpersonal growth and
self-mastery.
Despite his formal education,he is a big believer in the
immense power of self-education.
(01:06):
He is a critical thinker andyet at the same time deeply
spiritual.
He is a sought-after podcastguest.
We've already said he's apodcast host, and we're so
thrilled he's joining us today.
We're going to talk about anumber of different things,
including Dr.
Agi's journey into podcasting.
Welcome to the podcast.
Agi (01:22):
Carl, thank you very much for this wonderful introduction.
I'm excited to be here and I'mlooking forward to this
conversation.
Carl (01:28):
From dentist to podcaster, knowledge broker, and author,
what was the transition from oneto the others?
Agi (01:37):
I think it was what I like to call a midlife awakening.
Not a crisis.
Not a crisis, yes.
I took the lesson early, Carl,and didn't allow it to
transition into a crisis.
I think the crisis happens whenyou don't deal with it, when it
appears and you postpone it.
But yeah, what changed for mewas uh realizing that dentistry,
(02:00):
what I had been doing for allmy life, you know, then until I
was forty or so.
Actually, I had just finished amaster's degree in dentistry at
that time.
So instead of being superpumped and motivated to
practice, I was the opposite.
I was unmotivated, confused, Ididn't want to do any of that.
And that led me, you know, tostart investigating.
(02:21):
And I mean investigating myselfand figuring out led me to
personal development, readingbooks, going to seminars, this
one thing led to the other,speaking happened as a result,
and then podcasting.
So it was a gradual transitionover a period of years, but it
was and still is a beautifuljourney for me.
Carl (02:43):
It's funny because I think that a lot of people believe
that, you know, why would yougive up something like dentistry
to take the self-employment orself-discovery route when in
fact sometimes we need to dothat, we need to let go of
something, and sometimes thatfirst career or our first love
isn't the love we'reexperiencing right now, and
(03:04):
especially as you're going onthat self-discovery journey.
Agi (03:07):
Definitely.
And what led me the way thatyou asked it was when you feel
unsatisfied, when you don't feelin your heart that this is, you
know, what you would like to dofor the next 20 years of your
life, when you don't feel, youknow, fulfillment in what you
do.
I think that is the perfect wayI can describe it.
If fulfillment is lacking, thenI really personally I didn't
(03:31):
want to live my life feelingunfulfilled.
And just going through theemotions before you know it, you
know, you are 80 years old andyou look back and say, Oh my
god, what have I done?
So I think when you look at itlike that, it gives you more,
let's say, courage anddetermination to take some
decisions that can actuallychange things for you.
Carl (03:55):
And as you're on this journey of discovery, why
podcasting?
What is it that made you sit upand take notice of the
podcasting medium?
Agi (04:04):
This is a great question, and the short answer is my
intuition.
My heart brought it in front ofme.
At that time I had just starteddoing public speaking, which
was, you know, the completeopposite of what I used to be, a
very shy person.
And when I discovered howspeaking made me feel, and what
(04:25):
kind of energy I had, you know,when I was speaking to others,
then I discovered podcastingcompletely accidentally, I would
say.
Someone was talking about it,and I thought, wow, this I think
I can combine my new skills ofspeaking and put it into the
podcast.
So that was the spark ofinspiration that triggered it.
(04:45):
Of course, it took many, manymonths before I actually did
something with it, buteventually I did, out of uh
curiosity, and as a hobbycompletely at that time, I
started my first podcast back in2018.
And then I realized very muchthat great joy when I was doing
that, so I just kept on going.
(05:06):
So that's how it started.
Carl (05:10):
So you're on this discovery journey, you're
stepping from being a very shy,quiet person to now doing some
public speaking, to doingpodcasting.
Would you still consideryourself to be an introvert, or
have you shifted now to beingmore of an extrovert?
Agi (05:27):
I prefer in these cases the word ambivert because I'm by
nature I'm still an introvert,Carl.
I think, but that doesn't meanthat I can't, when I, for
example, here right now, I'mbehaving and I'm performing or
speaking in a very differentway.
I'm not the introvert, is youknow, I left him behind 20
(05:47):
minutes ago when when we startedthe call.
But that is my nature.
However, I have learned tochange it when I need not to be
an introvert.
And this is the I consider thatto be.
Rather than you know, the termextrovert, I certainly don't
consider myself an extrovert,because I think that also
(06:08):
implies some personality traitsthat I don't necessarily apart
you know from the confidence tospeak and express your opinions,
there are other things I thinkthat an extrovert.
Carl (06:20):
What are some of the things that you've discovered
about podcasting that maybe youdidn't realize when you first uh
started your show?
What are some of the ahamoments that you've had along
the way?
Agi (06:32):
That's such a lovely question.
Uh you know, after all theseyears, there are many.
I remember one of the firstthings I realized because uh
when I started, especially whenI started the podcast, the
majority of my guests werecoaches.
So they were in the personaldevelopment space and the many
were coaches.
I would get to ask themanything I wanted, and most of
(06:55):
the things that it was my ownpersonal curiosity and what I
wanted to learn.
So I started half-jokinglysaying that with the podcast I
have a different coach everyweek.
I interview different people, Iask them, so I'm getting also
coached.
So that was a very importantrealization for me and lesson,
and that was early on.
(07:16):
That when you are behind themicrophone asking questions,
there is a great power you haveto learn, first of all.
And you get to learn what youwant to learn, you can be
inspired, it all depends, youknow, the kind of person you
have opposite you and what youask and what you want to draw
from the conversation.
(07:37):
But it was uh incredible theamount of knowledge that I was
learning, and of course thenpassing it on to the listener
whatever they want to pick fromthe conversation.
So yeah, the first one thatcomes to mind was that.
The second now that comes tomind, Carl, there are so many, I
will tell you a couple of them,just uh random ones that come
(07:59):
to mind, and was when I startedsecond podcast, Personal
Development Mastery, thispodcast that I have now with uh
435 episodes now.
I started it just before thelockdowns back in 2020 with the
COVID.
And I was I started it as oneepisode a week, like I was you
(08:20):
used.
And with the lockdowns, becauseof the additional free time
that I had along with lots ofpeople at that time, I started
doing two episodes a week.
And I realized two things veryquickly.
First, that it was a lot ofwork to produce two episodes a
week, and at that time I wasdoing every single thing uh
myself.
We didn't have AI tools uh backin 2020 to write the show notes
(08:45):
or things like that, so it wasvery much uh intensive in terms
of the the work it needed.
But I was happily doing it, andthe second thing I realized was
that this is not a hobbyanymore for me.
The the way that I was treatingit was becoming a passion.
I would spend the majority ofmy time.
And of course, then it carriedon since 2020.
(09:08):
I carried on with thatfrequency of two episodes a
week.
And of course now it has goneeven past uh passion.
It is it has become mission forme.
I mean I can't you know what,Carl, I will share that and then
I will take a pause and uh youcan ask whatever you want.
I I can't see myself, let's sayfive years down the line, ten
(09:30):
years down the line.
I can't see myself not doingthe podcast.
It is something that I can seemyself doing for a very long
time.
I certainly want to reach athousand episodes.
There is no no way I would stopbefore then.
So I still have uh close tohalfway there, but not yet.
Carl (09:50):
Well, congratulations on the success of the show.
That is phenomenal.
Some podcasters don't even getto episode eight, let alone over
you said over 400 episodes.
435, yes.
Wow, and again, you would nothave that success if you stopped
month three, right?
You would you would just wouldnot have that success.
And you'd be scratching yourhead still saying, I don't know
(10:12):
what I'm supposed to be doing.
And whereas the podcast I thinkhas given you some purpose.
And great things that you'veshared about things that you've
the aha moments that you've had.
It's definitely a long game,not a short game.
So when you talk about 10years, you know, five years, 10
years down the line, you don'tsee yourself not doing a
podcast.
I think it's refreshing forsomebody who's either brand new
(10:35):
in the space or considering thespace because sometimes they
can't see the forest for theirtrees.
They don't even see their first50 episodes, let alone 10 years
of episodes.
Agi (10:46):
It's a great point that you're making.
And I often say that podcastingor the success in podcasting,
if you want, is like a marathon.
It's it's not a sprint.
And anyone that is thinkingthat will go into podcasting and
they will, I don't know, becomeviral or whatever, and they
will create a huge success inthe first few months.
(11:07):
I think they should probably nonot start it in the in the
first place, because podcastingdoesn't work like that, in my
experience.
Anyway, it is a long game.
And you said unfortunately manypeople don't even reach episode
ten or or eight, and that's thesad reality.
I think it is two thirds of thepodcast that quit before they
(11:28):
reach there.
It's uh mind blowing.
I think uh something importantto begin with for someone so
that they won't quit beforeepisode eight is to have a very
good understanding of why theywant to get into podcasting and
to have a very clear intentionand good mentor also I would add
(11:49):
not to go into all this thingon their own.
Because then it is it gets veryeasy to become part of those uh
sixty five percent of uhpodcasters that quit before
episode ten.
When you look at the longergame, when you look at a hundred
episodes, when you look at pastthe first year of the podcast,
(12:10):
these are things for me you haveto consider from the very
beginning, at the outset, andlook ahead like that.
And that's what many people, ortwo-thirds of the people,
don't, in my opinion.
That's why they don't manage.
Carl (12:22):
I like how you defined that.
They're not seeing it as amarathon, they're seeing it as a
sprint.
I think they're also comparingit up front to other media that
we've come to know over theyears and expect instantaneous
results.
Or they're looking at some oftheir colleagues or friends who
are maybe further along on theirjourney, or even people they
(12:42):
admire.
You know, maybe it's uh BreneBrown or Tony Robbins or any of
those folks who are verytop-notch and well-known
celebrities and thought leaders,and they think, well, if they
can do it, I can too.
Not realizing that that journeythat those individuals have
been on, it didn't start withthe podcast.
It started years before, andthere were personal struggles
(13:05):
and challenges and business andall kinds of things.
That that's now how they'reable to do that.
So, to your point about it'snot likely that you're going to
have instant success unless youalready have that status, you're
right.
It's definitely going to takesome time and dedication and
commitment, and it might take 10years.
Agi (13:26):
It will take as long as it will take.
These are the things that noone can uh predict uh
beforehand.
And you know, all this.
You have to build the audience,you have to build the trust of
the audience.
And you mentioned all thesepeople, Tony Robbins, etc.
How many times have has onelistened to Tony Robbins'
content in one way or another?
(13:46):
To be able to say, absolutely,of course I will listen to this
podcast and I will follow them.
But he is very well knownbecause we have been we know
him.
You have probably heard him,you know, ph hundreds of times.
You have been to his eventslike I have, or so on.
So it's it's not the thepodcast, of course.
It came as uh he's a wellknown.
(14:07):
But when you don't have anaudience and the podcast will
allow you to have a deeperconnection with the audience
compared with, I don't know,TikTok or whatever else.
It has a deeper connection withthe audience.
But in order to build thatconnection, that's what it takes
time.
And you know, if you think ofthe podcast that you like, how
(14:29):
many times have you listened tothem to you know trust the
person that is behind themicrophone and respect them?
It certainly didn't happen whenyou first listened to answer.
You said, Oh, this is great, Iwill follow this person and do
whatever they uh recommend.
No, it takes time.
And I'm just coming back, uhCarl, to what we were saying
(14:49):
about the the long-term game.
Hopefully it won't take tenyears, as you said, but if it
does, it does, you know.
Things take from my experiencelonger than I would like them
to.
Carl (15:03):
Yeah, I think that's uh on my part, that's an
exaggeration.
And I think the point I wastrying to make was it'll it
might take more, likely willtake more than eight episodes.
And it might take, you know,your journey might take.
I had a colleague who once saidthat, because I remember asking
him fairly early on in mypodcasting journey.
I asked him, at what point, howmany episodes in do you start
(15:24):
to see the needle move with howmany listeners and what's the
engagement level?
And he said, somewhere aroundepisode 50 to 60.
And at this point, I was atepisode, I don't know, maybe
episode eight or nine.
And I'm thinking, I have a longway to go.
I'm over 200 episodes now, andI'm scratching my head going,
and I was worried about episodehitting episode 50.
But but I think we we look atthat and we say, Oh, that's
(15:46):
gonna take so long.
But nothing good or nothingworthwhile in life ever comes
easy, and some of the greatestthings take a long time, be it
the Sistine Chapel or Romewasn't built in the day, so
neither should your success inpodcasting.
And let me ask you thisquestion though, Aggie.
If you were starting out again,talking about the podcast, or
(16:09):
maybe in business too, but ifyou were starting out again,
what would you do differently?
Or would you do anythingdifferently?
Would it be the same?
Agi (16:16):
If I started out now, I don't know if if I would go back
in time and restart it, but ifI were to start now, I would uh
definitely make uh use from thebeginning of the the systems,
the processes, the automationsthat now I'm aware of that you
know they have taken me over mysix plus years of podcasting.
(16:40):
I have learned a few things asyou can imagine.
But I would certainly utilizethose because they are a time
saver.
Because podcasting, there isthis bit that one or the
listener sees or hears, that isthe finished product.
In order for that to be onSpotify ready for you to
download, there are other thingsthat need to be done that if
(17:04):
you don't either systemize it orgive it to someone else to do
it, then they're going to eat upa lot of your time.
And that is uh inevitable ifyou want to do something good.
So I think to answer yourquestion concisely, I would
utilize as much as possibleautomation AI and systems that
(17:28):
now I know about and I can gothrough a checklist of some
sort, and you know things uhhappen very, very fast.
Carl (17:35):
And those tools are phenomenal.
And I and I'm glad how youmentioned too that, especially
if you're doing it yourself,because there are a lot of
people who will do theirpodcasts themselves.
And previously, I'd say priorto 2020 for sure, a lot of that
grunt work you had to domanually.
Now there are tools that canhelp you do that.
If you don't even want to dothat yourself, there are
(17:56):
agencies like mine, for example,and that's what we do.
We take the back-endresponsibilities or tasks away
so you can just focus on doingyour content and we make you
look and sound good on the otherend.
So all those cleaning up anddigital mastering and all of
that stuff.
We take care of that.
You don't even have to figureit out.
But to your point, those toolsare there for a reason.
(18:18):
They're to to help us and makeour lives easier.
Agi (18:21):
Definitely.
All we need to do is embracethem and use them effect
effectively.
Carl (18:27):
I like that.
Use them effectively.
Effectively, yes.
Don't use them against you, andcertainly don't put certainly
don't put a bad product outthere just because you you want
to try and seem creative.
I've I've seen some people dothat, especially with some of
the AI voice technologies,they'll they'll do some very
I'll say weird, weird voicesthat don't even match the not a
(18:50):
clear reflection of their show,but they just like how that
sounds.
Well, that if it's not areflection of your brand and
your business, why are you doingit?
Why are it bringing in aboutinauthenticity when what the
audience wants is the real, theauthentic, the you, so they can
decide whether or not thatconnection is worthy of
(19:11):
listening to next week, but theneven doing a deeper dive with
you and and following up and buyyour book or jump into one of
your programs or whatever it is.
Agi (19:20):
Absolutely, Carl.
I I agree with you.
I mean, I don't have anythingparticular to add to that.
Carl (19:28):
Let's talk about your book though, because you do have I
think this is a good transitionto talk about your book because
you uh you do have a book, 88Actionable Insights for Life.
Let's talk about it, yeah.
Agi (19:38):
Sure, the interesting thing is that content of the book,
the vast majority of the contentof the book came from the
podcast.
And I think that is somethingvery interesting, and that for
someone listening thatconsidering a podcast or have a
podcast is that that content canbe used again.
Once you have collected enoughand you process it and you look
(20:03):
at it, you can then so that'swhat happened with uh with me.
I realized I had at that timeabout two hundred and fifty
episodes or something like that,maybe a bit less.
And I thought this is the timeto make a book.
I mean I got uh inspired verymuch by Tim Ferris, who used his
podcast to make uh Tools ofTitans, etc.
(20:24):
And I thought okay I will makea version of uh Tim Ferris.
And that's where Eighty EightActionable Insights for Life
came about, with uh actionablethings that my guests mainly,
but also I have uh my own thereas well, but uh the guests from
the podcast gave me about theirtopic of expertise.
(20:46):
So there are uh about fiftydifferent uh people combined in
the book, sharing their wisdomthat I uh distilled through the
the podcast.
So it was a very uh it was ofcourse a learning process and a
very interesting all I'm sayingis that since we are talking
(21:08):
about uh podcasting generallyand people who are interested or
have their podcast, uh thatthere are tremendous
possibilities with your contentto do some other things with it
and make it evergreen and so on.
So it it takes a lot of workfor sure, but all good things
take a lot of work, but uh theit's a great idea.
Carl (21:31):
Everyone has a book in them, everyone has a podcast in
them too, and I'll tell you thetwo go hand in hand.
So the fact that you've taken alot of stuff from your podcast
and put that into your book isamazing.
So thank you for sharing thatbecause quite often I'll have
folks who'll say, Well, I wantto write a book and I want to do
a podcast.
Which one should I do first?
Six of one half dozen theother.
I always say the podcast justbecause it's an easier runway,
(21:51):
and that's where you're going toget a bunch of that content.
But certainly the other wayworks too.
So we'll make sure that thelink for the book is in the show
notes as well as all of yoursocial media, your website, and
all of that stuff so people canconnect with you after today.
Oh my goodness, Dr.
Agi Keramitas, it has been anamazing conversation today.
Before I turn you loose,though, to go produce another
(22:13):
podcast, phenomenal podcastepisode, or dive into some other
phenomenal things like whatyou're doing, I'll give you the
final thought.
Agi (22:21):
What I would say, and it kind of ties to something we
were saying earlier, try andfind something that excites you
that like to do and think ofsomething that maybe you have
been wanting to do and beenpostponing it for a long time.
Just pick that one thing, and Ithink uh each of us think they
can figure something out veryquickly.
(22:43):
And once you pick that up, thentake a small step, a small
action towards it.
And when I say small, it can beas simple as uh you know going
online and checking a websiteabout thing or you know sending
a text to your friend that knowsabout it.
Something very simple.
It doesn't matter what it is,as long as it is a small action
(23:05):
towards that.
And then see what happens.
That's my open invitation.
See what happens afterwards.
You might be very pleasantlysurprised.
Carl (23:14):
And enjoy the journey as you're doing that too.
Dr.
Agi Keramidas has been my guesttoday.
Thank you so much for being onthe show.
Agi (23:21):
Thank you very much, Carl.
Carl (23:22):
It was a real pleasure to be here.
And hey, thank you for being apart of the show today.
So glad you could join us.
Believe it or not, I can't workthis magic by myself.
So, thanks to my amazing team,our audio engineer Don Carillo,
our sonic branding genius KentonDolborowski, and the person who
works the arms, all of our armsactually, our project manager
and my trusty assistant JulovellTiong o, known to us here
(23:45):
simply as July.
If you like what you heardtoday, let us know.
You can leave us a comment orreview or even send us a voice
note.
And if you really liked it, wehope you'll share it with your
friends and your colleagues.
If you don't like what youheard today, well, please feel
free to share it with yourenemies.
And if you know of someone whowould make a great guest on the
show, let us know about it.
You can get in touch with us bygoing to our show notes where
(24:07):
all of our connection points arethere, including the links to
our website, LinkedIn, andFacebook as well.
And if you're ready to be aguest on podcasts, or even start
your own show, let's have aconversation.
We'll show you the simplest wayto get into the podcasting
space and rock it.
Because after all, we'rePodcast Solutions Made Simple.
Catch again next time.
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